I am so pleased to be able to share this delicious upside-down pear cake recipe from The Buddhist Chef’s newest cookbook, Vegan Comfort Cooking. Thanks to Jean-Philippe Cyr and Appetite by Random House for gifting me the beautiful cookbook. I’m super excited to try more yummy meat- and dairy-free classic recipes.
The book arrived just in time for my nephew’s birthday and Thanksgiving. Needless to say, the cake was a big a hit with the family. It’s moist and delicious and I highly recommend you try it. The texture is divine!
Excerpted from The Buddhist Chef’s Vegan Comfort Cooking. Copyright © 2021 Jean-Philippe Cyr. Photography ©2021 Samuel Joubertand Dominique Lafond. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Easy vegan pear cake
- 1 tbsp margarine or vegan butter, for pan
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, for pan
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (100 g) almond flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) plant milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (28 oz/796 ml) can pear halves
- 8 maraschino cherries, halved
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with vegan butter, then generously sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar.
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In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat until the batter is smooth. Set aside.
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Drain the pears (save the juice to make pear syrup – see notes). Place a maraschino cherry in the cavity of each pear half.
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Set the pears side by side on the bottom of the baking pan, cherry side down.
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Pour the cake batter over the pears. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Let cool, and enjoy. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tip: Save the pear juice from the can and boil it in a saucepan, over medium-high heat, until reduced by half. Brush it on the cake right out of the oven.
Excerpted from The Buddhist Chef’s Vegan Comfort Cooking. Copyright © 2021 Jean-Philippe Cyr. Photography ©2021 Samuel Joubertand Dominique Lafond. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.